Glass Wings Blog: February 2019

Life Without The Tech Giants

Sat, 2 Feb 2019 23:29:18 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Apple collectively make
products that we love, products that we hate (but can’t stop using), and
products that dictate how we communicate and how we are seen. Their

Facebook's Privacy Problems Are Piling Up Too Quickly To Chronicle

Sat, 2 Feb 2019 23:31:32 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Another day, another Facebook privacy mess. Actually, this one is a few
different privacy messes that we'll roll up into a single post because,
honestly, who can keep track of them all these days? While we've noted

Still Alive - Frank Sinatra Big Band Swing Version (The 8-Bit Big Band)

Mon, 4 Feb 2019 00:46:05 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

'Benny Benack III is featured singing his face off crooning like Frank
Sinatra and playing trumpet in The 8-Bit Big Band's arrangement of one
of video game musics favorite songs, "Still Alive" from Portal 1.'

Domestic violence and a simple tool called the 'No Test' could identify an abusive partner

Mon, 4 Feb 2019 00:47:04 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"With the No Test, we're not trying to give women knowledge that they
didn't already know, but when they see it in black and white in front of
them like that, they realise they of course have the right to say no,

Mon, 4 Feb 2019 00:48:17 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"The Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission has found Commonwealth
officials committed gross maladministration, negligence and unlawful
actions in drawing up the multi-billion-dollar deal to save Australia's

We Now Know Why Naval Sonar Leads To Mass Whale Strandings

Mon, 4 Feb 2019 23:39:31 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"For decades scientists have known that naval sonar can have a
detrimental impact on marine life. The sound is so intense that marine
mammals will swim hundreds of miles, dive incredibly deep, or even beach

Cooking chemistry minus heat equals new non-toxic adhesive

Mon, 4 Feb 2019 23:40:47 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Not only is this new adhesive made from food components, but it's even
stronger than Gorilla Glue on wood. On aluminum, it's about the same.
The findings were published recently in the Journal of the American

Mon, 4 Feb 2019 23:41:41 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Malaysian digital artist Zulkarnain Ismail is one of those artists
whose artwork captivates. He draws inspiration from photography and
nature is one of the main subjects of his art. Thanks to his amazing

Giving housing to the homeless is three times cheaper than leaving them on the streets

Wed, 6 Feb 2019 01:25:06 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Counting the homeless is, of course, a critical element to making
appropriate homelessness policy. But good policy also requires greater
awareness of a discovery that research continuously confirms — it's

Basic Income is now a dominant discussion in India's 2019 general election

Wed, 6 Feb 2019 01:37:34 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"What's so interesting about this development in India is that it's kind
of like if a Democratic president had been toying around about
implementing UBI if re-elected, and then the Republican party promised

Internet trolls are not who I thought — they're even scarier

Wed, 6 Feb 2019 23:10:48 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"For Mark and others like him, it's business. They don't care who or
what you are — they are just trying to find your weakest point and get
an emotional reaction from you. As a rule, they attack anyone who they

The Ghost Statistic That Haunts Women’s Empowerment

Thu, 7 Feb 2019 22:39:35 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Even when quantitative data are valid, they often produce very limited
understandings of the complex realities of girls and women’s lives and
the conditions that produce poverty and inequality. These simply cannot

This company has found a way to retrofit planes so they fly with electric power

Thu, 7 Feb 2019 22:41:22 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"For airlines, shifting to a fully electric plane can potentially save
75% to 90% of the energy cost for a flight, depending on the fuel and
electricity prices in a region. Because electric planes also use fewer

Tip The Cat

Sat, 9 Feb 2019 02:13:10 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"My dad and I were passing through Santa Barbara on a road trip and had
just gotten lunch. On our way back to the car, I spotted a sign on the
sidewalk advertising a cat cafe. Being cat lovers, we went to investigate."

Trump Is a Mental Health Story

Sat, 9 Feb 2019 02:14:17 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"So far, most of the mainstream stories about Trump’s narcissism have
been about whether mental health professionals should diagnose him from
afar. That’s a worthy debate. But journalists are not psychiatrists. We

Fire (and lots of it): Berkeley researcher on the only way to fix cryptocurrency

Sat, 9 Feb 2019 02:15:36 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Speaking at the Enigma security conference in Burlingame, California,
last week, the researcher at UC Berkeley's International Computer
Science Institute characterized bitcoin and its many follow-on digital

Humpback Whales Separated by a Continent Are “Remixing” Each Other’s Songs

Sat, 9 Feb 2019 23:47:16 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"It’s long been known that humpback whales use complex vocalizations to
communicate with one another, but did you know just how far their songs
could travel? A group of scientists spent years studying the evolution

A letter to Steven Pinker (and Bill Gates, for that matter) about global poverty

Sat, 9 Feb 2019 23:49:54 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"The point of my piece was that the story of global poverty is more
complex than you and Gates have been willing to acknowledge, and the
data do not support your narrative about neoliberal globalization. Let

The World Might Actually Run Out of People

Sat, 9 Feb 2019 23:51:35 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"And I realized, here we are in a slum in Delhi, and all these women
have smartphones. Who can read. Who have data packages. And I was
thinking, they have all of human knowledge in their hands now. What’s

Sun, 10 Feb 2019 23:42:43 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"This isn't some one-off instance, either. It turns out that this sort
of extortion is a somewhat regular occurrence. And even that shouldn't
really matter, because it's plain as can be that a system that even

A Huge Climate Change Movement Led By Teenage Girls Is Sweeping Europe. And It’s Coming To The US Next.

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 23:30:28 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"“The men who comment there are the white middle-aged men who keep this
system running by thinking that there is no other option,” Mahlhaus
said. “It hurts to realize that they have the power to define what is

Why disaster capitalists are praying for a no-deal Brexit

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 23:31:53 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Part of me wants to smash it all up. I want to see the British bubble
burst: the imperial nostalgia, the groundless belief in the inherent
greatness of this nation; the casual dishonesty of those who govern us;

The Decolonial Atlas

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 23:32:47 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"The Decolonial Atlas is a growing collection of maps which, in some
way, help us to challenge our relationships with the land, people, and
state. It’s based on the premise that cartography is not as objective as

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 23:17:37 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"While we of course advocate supporting your local independent book
store – and independent publishing houses – and would urge you to
purchase copies of your books where you can afford to, below you can

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 23:18:21 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Indeed, as Wang pointed out, time is of the essence when it comes to
implementing effective recycling strategies. Every year that nothing is
done, millions of tons of plastic flow into the oceans, where they are

Minuscule Valley Of The Lost Ants - Official Trailer

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 23:19:58 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"MINUSCULE revolves around the day-to-day existence of insects which are
presented in burlesque situations, with a fair amount of philosophical
contemplation thrown in. A cross between a Tex Avery cartoon and a

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 23:24:15 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"I believe we can and must build new models for journalism based on real
value, understanding people’s needs and motives so we can serve them.
But I’m getting ahead of myself again. I can’t help it: I’m an optimist.

Plummeting insect numbers 'threaten collapse of nature'

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 23:00:07 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Other scientists agree that it is becoming clear that insect losses are
now a serious global problem. “The evidence all points in the same
direction,” said Prof Dave Goulson at the University of Sussex in the

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Punchline: "ICE is an active partner in the dehumanizing of immigrants,
allowing private contractors to treat the human beings they're supposed
to be taking care of like pieces of meat to be exchanged for cash. It's

Sat, 16 Feb 2019 04:49:41 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"When Amelia and her band of interstellar drifters (Greg Miller and
Austin Creed) pick up a shady contract mission that quickly goes south,
only their teamwork will save them from oblivion at the edge of the

Smash and Grab | Pixar SparkShorts

Sat, 16 Feb 2019 04:56:59 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Smash and Grab, directed by Brian Larsen and produced by David Lally,
is about two antiquated robots who risk everything for freedom and for
each other after years of toiling away inside the engine room of a

True Survivor (from Kung Fury) - The Cybertronic Spree

Sat, 16 Feb 2019 23:27:36 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"The Cybertronic Spree perform True Survivor, the hit single by
David Hasselhoff. Inspired by the cult classic film, Kung Fury, these
rockstars in disguise pay tribute to David Sandberg's over the top style."

Climate and economic risks 'threaten 2008-style systemic collapse'

Sat, 16 Feb 2019 23:29:29 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"The IPPR report, which launches a wider 18-month project on this topic,
urges policymakers to grapple with these risks as a priority, to
accelerate the restoration of natural systems, and to push harder on the

Sun, 17 Feb 2019 22:55:40 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

'The internet has been an amazing platform for creators to make money --
and that includes millions of people who probably wouldn't have made any
money in the past. The gatekeepers, such as the RIAA labels and its

Buy organic food to help curb global insect collapse, say scientists

Sun, 17 Feb 2019 22:56:41 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Buying organic food is among the actions people can take to curb the
global decline in insects, according to leading scientists. Urging
political action to slash pesticide use on conventional farms is

Jeff Carlisle: Another Night at the Warp Core Cafe

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 23:20:56 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Born in the town of Shelby, OH (Birthplace of the seamless tube
industry in America), Jeff Carlisle grew up in the bustling metropolis
of Columbus, OH. There, he attended public school without being shot or

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 23:22:17 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Despite the fact that even the staunchest supporters of Article 13 were
asking for it to be dropped from the final version of the EU Copyright
Directive, that didn't happen. In the final trilogue negotiations

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 22:38:52 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Internationally acclaimed photographer Geert Weggen specialises in
photographing Red squirrels. His images of the adorable little critters
and their antics have been published worldwide in newspapers, books,

Japan to recognise Indigenous Ainu people for first time

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 22:39:48 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"After suffering years of discrimination and forced assimilation, the
Ainu people have finally been recognised as "indigenous" Japanese
people, giving them the right to support for their communities and a

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 22:41:23 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

“I think enough people have realised just how absurd the situation is.
We are in the middle of the biggest crisis in human history and
basically nothing is being done to prevent it. I think what we are

The magical thinking of guys who love logic

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 21:59:02 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"None of this seems like “logic” to me. It seems like a person who has
very strongly held presuppositions that they insist on holding onto the
way a child holds onto their stuffed animal — stubbornly, and with a

Understanding Job Burnout

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 18:33:55 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Interestingly, what I think we’re seeing more and more of now this has
become the business model in a lot of occupations. We’re seeing it in
healthcare. We’re seeing it in social services. We’re seeing it in

Kitbull | Pixar SparkShorts

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 18:34:52 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Kitbull, directed by Rosana Sullivan and produced by Kathryn
Hendrickson, reveals an unlikely connection that sparks between two
creatures: a fiercely independent stray kitten and a pit bull. Together,

Sat, 23 Feb 2019 16:06:25 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Do you remember Jim Henson’s 80s fantasy anthology series The Storyteller?
Well, if you do, you’ll be happy to learn that The Jim Henson Company has
teamed up with author Neil Gaiman to develop a reimagined version of the show!"

Jobs vs. death toll: Calculating corporate death penalties

Sun, 24 Feb 2019 06:37:18 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"If we know that life trumps employment because you have to be alive to
work, then for a company or industry to exist it must employ more people
than it kills in a year," Pearce said. "What this paper has done is set

2.7 million medical calls breached in Sweden, and it's pure comedy

Sun, 24 Feb 2019 06:38:11 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"On Monday, news outlet Computer Sweden broke the news that millions of
calls to a national Swedish health care adviser were openly available on
the internet. Here is a summary in English. In short, they were

When Kids Realize Their Whole Life Is Already Online

Sun, 24 Feb 2019 06:39:46 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"While many kids may not yet have accounts themselves, their parents,
schools, sports teams, and organizations have been curating an online
presence for them since birth. The shock of realizing that details about

Young climate strikers can win their fight. We must all help

Sun, 24 Feb 2019 23:04:20 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"To help this movement win, we should ask why others lost. We should
ask, for instance, why Occupy, despite the energy and sacrifices of so
many, came to an end, while the institutions it confronted remain

How Google, Microsoft, And Big Tech Are Automating The Climate Crisis

Sun, 24 Feb 2019 23:05:35 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"While Google, Microsoft, and Amazon may put on a progressive air
towards climate change and extol their own clean energy investments,
they are in reality deep into the process of automating the climate crisis."

Evicted by Matthew Desmond review – what if the problem of poverty is that it’s profitable to other people?

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 00:43:36 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"What if the dominant discourse on poverty is just wrong? What if the
problem isn’t that poor people have bad morals – that they’re lazy and
impulsive and irresponsible and have no family values – or that they

‘Plastic Is Lethal’: Groundbreaking Report Reveals Health Risks at Every Stage in Plastics Life Cycle

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 00:45:38 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"This new report provides further evidence of plastic's detrimental
effects on a global scale—and it's more personal than ever," Oceana
chief policy officer Jacqueline Savitz said in a statement. "Plastic is

Beaker: the Decentralized Read-Write Browser

Thu, 28 Feb 2019 22:50:05 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"Beaker Browser serves as a bridge to a possible future for the web—and
the internet. You can use Beaker today to surf the web like any other
Chromium-based browser. More important, you also can use Beaker to

Australian Siblings Are Semi-Identical Twins, Some Of The Rarest Humans Ever

Thu, 28 Feb 2019 22:51:22 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

"A pair of Australian siblings are some of the rarest humans ever
documented, according to their doctors. The brother and sister are said
to be semi-identical twins, sharing the exact same DNA from their